British-born American physician who was the first woman to be awarded a medical doctorate in modern times (1849). In 1853 she founded an infirmary for women and children in New York City that her sister Emily Blackwell (1826-1910), also a physician, directed (1869-1910) and built into an accredited medical school.

(blāck'wěl') British-born American physician who was the first woman doctor in the United States. In 1851 she founded an infirmary for women and children in New York City that her sister Emily Blackwell (1826-1910), also a physician, directed. Emily Blackwell was the first woman doctor to perform major surgeries on a regular basis.